Sunday, March 25, 2012

A while ago I was asked by a friend (who is into kung fu in a big way) to identify the location used in the short film embedded below.

I'm not sure when it was filmed - possibly the late 70's or early 80's given that it's star - Chiu Chi Ling - looks fairly youthful still (though that could just be because of his hard Hung Gar practice bestowing healthy benefits...). But anyway it was filmed in Tsuen Wan at the Yuen Yuen Institute.I went there the other day and it looks exactly like it did when this film was made.

Friday, March 16, 2012

After Bud has hijacked a car to help him chase his quarry, we see a shot of them driving up a small road and under a bridge that is part of the tram track.

Actually, it's probably the terrain in this part of town that has prevented it from being exploited by the greedy developers and it still looks pretty much as it did 40(ish) years ago. The road is where Barker Road meets the Old Peak Road and as you can see there isn't much clearance for motor vehicles under that tiny bridge. Here is the streetview.

You can see the bridge in the background. Note the Peak Tram station on the right. This is quite a famous station: Barker Road station - and it's not the first time we have seen it. A while ago I flagged it up when it was used during some scenes in Clark Gable's Soldier of Fortune.

Funnily enough it was also used in this film when Bud finally catches his man and they decide to work together. As you can see, this place hasn't changed at all - although the vista it has overlooked since being built has changed beyond recognition.

Part of the aforementioned chase also takes place in and around various parts of the Peak Tram system. The first bit we see if the bridge over the tram track along MacDonnell Road in the Central Mid-levels area. Of course the tram still plows the same path it has done since day 1 but the surrounding areas have seen inevitable change and redevelopment.

What's changed? Well, the bridge is still there and it looks as though the same concrete balustrades are in place today although the bridge has had some sort of platform added on the higher side - perhaps to prevent people falling directly on the track? The bridge sides are quite low and it would be fairly easy for someone to be stupid enough and lean over and lose their balance. Here is the contemporary Streetview version.

One thing to note is that whereas ol' Bud runs up to a house at the side of the track (and then hijacks a parked car in front of the house) these days the house has been replaced by a large apartment complex called "Silvercrest".